To all those friends who took the trouble to listen..

Yaaron (kk)

Yaaron dosti badi hi haseen hai
yeh na ho to kya phir
bolo ye zindagi hai
Koi to ho raazadaar
begaraz tera ho yaar
koi to ho raazadaar....

Teri har ek burai pe
dante vo dost
Gum ki ho dhup to saaya bane
tera vo dost

Love Struck Romeo

Im trying something new and different.. Its all centered around illustrating cats.. not that i like them very much.. but one of those phases.. and i like the playfulness of the topic cat and mouse.. so lets see how it goes.. its my first go at illustrating them on illustrator... shall try getting the sketches posted as well.. and this is my first go at doing typo with a mouse.. hope it looks good. waiting for your comments!

This is another illustration i did.. which i like to call 'Summer love' its my experimentation with doing portraits on illustrator.

These are two illustrations i did with illustrator.. playing around with the format of decorative borders and text, illustrating two nursery rhymes.

Where does do all the rivers flow
.. to the sea, to the sea
Is that where all my cares do go?
.. to the sea, to the sea
My footsteps do not carry me there
.. to the sea, to the sea
How long will all this fair for me?
.. Away from the sea, away from the sea.

Vermeer's Milkmaid

This is one of my favorite paintings by Vermeer. It is called 'The Milkmaid'. Vermeer was one of the few dutch painters, and catered to the working class. At that time, their preferal choice of subject were mudane scene, and potraits. The milkmaid is a servant, but is painted with grace and dignity, not lechery or suggestions of laziness, as was the custom in depicting servants. This painting has always been one of Vermeer's most popular. But to me, this is one painting that reminds one that beauty can be pronounced in almost anything we do.

The painting exemplifies the sturdy maid, humbly going about her everyday duties, elevating her to a paragon of homely virtue. She might be seen as the essence of the Dutch character: strong, simple, and direct. The painting style is certainly bold and vigorous, the colors strong and earthy.

Her concentration is directed completely at the milk flow, and the stream of white paint is uncannily realistic. The light from the window adds to the input to this flow, and below the table the blue cloth continues the suggestion of flow. Her concentration is similar to that of a snapshot, as if she were captured by time in her duties. And to remember that she would have modelled this pose for hours, unlike our models today that pose infront of the camera for a few takes and then disappear.

Also concealed in this composition is a set of arcs: the woman's face, bonnet, shoulders, bosom, and her apron; the jug from which she pours and the bowl she pours into; a basket, loaves, and a pitcher on the table present more arcs; the basket and brass box on the wall have arcs in their shape. These arcs contribute to the astounding composition of the painting, making the viewer's eye make the complete circle.

The jug, bowl, pitcher and bread have brilliant impasto sparkles, and the contour of the woman's back and dress is emphasized with a thin white line. This device separates her from the background, and emphasizes the rich azure and yellow of her clothing.

And one cannot definately leave without commenting on Vermeer's profound ability in portraying light. Many have said that perhaps to be so perfect in painting light on household objects, Vermeer could have used a primitive camera; where light is reflected using a set of mirrors onto the canvas to obtain an inverted image. A technique known to us as camera obscura.

With or without this technique, Vermeer's painting proves to be rather absorbing, and pulls us into the fragmentary moment of a maid's life in 16th Century Amsterdam.

This song by the Rolling Stones called 'Blinded by Rainbows"
Its for all of us that live in our dream worlds.. and get so consumed in our own worlds, thinking our pains and hurdles that we cross are so difficult, that we forget the pain of people going through worse than us... And like they say.. 'I doubt it'

Did you ever feel the pain
That he felt upon the cross
Did you ever feel the knife
Tearing flesh thats oh so soft

Did you ever touch the night
Did you ever count the cost
Do you hide away the fear
Put down paradise as lost

Yeah youre blinded by rainbows
Watching the wind blow
Blinded by rainbows
Do you dream at night
Do you sleep at night
I doubt it

Did you ever feel the blast
As the semtex bomb goes off
Do you ever hear the screams
As the limbs are all torn off
Did you ever kiss the child
Who just saw his father shot
Do you ever shed a tear
As the war drags on and on

Do you ever touch the night
Or is it just another job
Do you feel the final hours
Put down paradise as lost

Yeah youre blinded by rainbows
And faces in windows
Blinded by rainbows
Do you dream at night
Do you sleep at night
I doubt it

Do you ever fear the night
Could it be the war is lost
Do you fear the final hour
Do you kneel before the cross

Youre blinded by rainbows
And watching the wind blow
Blinded by rainbows
Do you dream at night
Do you scream at night
Do you smell of fear
Is your conscience clear
Are you caked in sweat

Are your clothes all wet
Do you see the light
Is the end in sight
See the face of christ
Enter paradise
I doubt it

The National Highway.. Its India!

Ladies of the lake (contd)

 

The Large Egret and the Night Heron
(the ladies of the lake)

I was so enchanted by their elegance and grace as they flew across the lake. How, the evening light captured the white tips of their wings. And fell across their face. They posed as if they were the Queens and Kings of the lake. A sight that had me breathless for queit a while... or maybe it was just me and my rosy blue eyes.

 

"Seek thy fortune through all the arches and gates"

 

Inside the pulse of Hyderabad - Charminar

 

Charmed at Charminar

 

Fields of Gold

Youll remember me when the west wind moves
Upon the fields of barley
Youll forget the sun in his jealous sky
As we walk in the fields of gold

So she took her love
For to gaze awhile
Upon the fields of barley
In his arms she fell as her hair came down
Among the fields of gold

Will you stay with me, will you be my love
Among the fields of barley
Well forget the sun in his jealous sky
As we lie in the fields of gold

See the west wind move like a lover so
Upon the fields of barley
Feel her body rise when you kiss her mouth
Among the fields of gold
I never made promises lightly
And there have been some that Ive broken
But I swear in the days still left
Well walk in the fields of gold
Well walk in the fields of gold

Many years have passed since those summer days
Among the fields of barley
See the children run as the sun goes down
Among the fields of gold
Youll remember me when the west wind moves
Upon the fields of barley
You can tell the sun in his jealous sky
When we walked in the fields of gold
When we walked in the fields of gold
When we walked in the fields of gold

(Sting)